Brandenburg City Councilmember Ronnie Joyner gaveled the Dec. 13 meeting to order – marking the body’s last scheduled meeting of the year and his last after nearly two decades of service. Joyner served as mayor of Brandenburg for 12 years, and councilmember for two terms.

In honor of his service, Mayor David Pace announced that the city is naming a bridge at Riverfront Park the “Ronnie C. Joyner Pedestrian Bridge.”

“I don’t think anyone knows quite what this means to me. This has caught me off guard. It’s really an honor for something like this inside a city this small to have something named after you,” said Joyner.
He recalled his early days as mayor, when Riverfront Park didn’t exist.

“When I first started as mayor, you could drive through the Riverfront, but it was on a path where the grass was dead,” said Joyner.

He said the park was one of many accomplishments he was able to accomplish with the help of the council and community.

“There were no soccer fields there, it was just all overgrown,” he recalled. “Then boaters got together and cleaned it up and put the boat dock in, and around 2000 it really developed. We also put in over four miles of sidewalks in the city, and at least two to three miles of water and sewerlines.”
Pace noted the accomplishment.

“This is his final meeting as a councilmember, but he’ll always be a part of the city. I’m sure there will always be committees he can serve on...” said Pace. “This is fitting given all the time and effort he’s given to the city and this community. And there’s all the work that went into making downtown Riverfront what it is with his leadership. It’s the crown jewel of this community.”

Joyner said he was done with politics, and would be devoting time to his passion – riding motorcycles.